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Posted on 03/03/2026 8:21:01 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
A Royal Navy destroyer is expected in Cyprus next week after Keir Starmer announced it would be sent to defend the country and British bases there after hostile drones targeted RAF Akrotiri on Monday.
The prime minister said that HMS Dragon, currently in the Channel, would be deployed alongside two Wildcat helicopters with counter-drone capabilities, after a phone call to the country’s president, Nikos Christodoulides.
The British decision comes a few hours after France promised to make a similar military deployment to Cyprus, though some experts said it was a surprise the UK had not sought to reinforce its regional interests earlier.
John Foreman, a former UK defence attache to Moscow, said the UK had appeared to decide to largely ignore the highly visible US regional military buildup ahead of the US-Israel attack on Iran on Saturday.
“That the UK is now ‘considering’ sending a destroyer to the eastern Mediterranean is a clear indication one should have been there already,” Foreman said.
He said the decision “appears driven more by news that the French are sending ships to the area. The MoD has consistently been behind the power curve and is now scrambling to catch up. A failure of planning, of intelligence, and of foresight,” Foreman added.
The Conservative shadow defence secretary, James Cartlidge, echoed that criticism, saying: “We need the highly capable air defence it [HMS Dragon] provides to protect RAF Akrotiri. It begs the question: why wasn’t she already there?”
The prime minister’s spokesperson said adequate defences were in place in Cyprus already, adding that the assets deployed “include radar systems, air defence and F-35 jets”. He said: “That is a significant level of defensive capability to our bases in Cyprus.”
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
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Do they use a crank to start their engine?
This was the boat that launched missiles to kill James Bond in No Time To Die.
The fact that that almost non effort is “:a significant level of defense capacity” make one wonder why the UK bothers with a military at all.
How pathetic. How can a destroyer protect the Empire from Iran? What fantasy world does Starmer live in.
Hey do not knock the crank! My brother owned Moriis minor with a crank. Never had to worry about the electric starter failing or battery getting weak.
I hope that they don’t use Lucas electronics! 😳
The boat was commissioned April 20, 2012
The British ended with the the British Nationality Act 1981. That’s de jure.
De facto it ended in 1956 with the ignominy of the Suez crisis
I hope those despotic UK wankers sent their extra admirals with their tired little boat.
Rue Britannia.
One ship?
The Cypress issue was unexpected, IMO. Everything else (US bases & Israel attacks) was not a shock.
That would be the russian "navy" ...
“One ship?”
But it’s a Royal Navy destroyer !
with two Wildcat helicopters ..
oh just get bent..
From the next post of FR.
Bring a bit of tea to the fight.
T for tolerance.
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